Recently, I have been pressing the reset button and accepting that I need to look after myself and find more time for things I want to do. This may have been because I have had 5 colds in the past 3 months which gave me a wake up all that I need to take care of myself. Or I have just come to the realisation to actually listen to my body and mind and take a step back when needed. Thus, see below some ways that I have been relaxing and pampering myself whenever I get chance:
Walking:
Ever since a young age I would do anything to get out of doing exercise but now I love to find time to go for a walk. Some benefits I have seen from taking a breath of fresh air are: a clearer mind, increase in fitness levels and feeling more motivated to get things done. I find I am waking up and feeling motivated to go out for a walk whether it be on the treadmill or out in the countryside which is so refreshing! I look at my day ahead and try to plan in a 30 min to an hour walk which I have never done before! I just find I am making a conscious effort to get my steps in and to look after my fitness a bit more rather than spending time at my desk or being at home all the time.
I am also being mindful of when I can squeeze in a extra 15 minute walk here and there throughout the day. Could I be walking to work instead of driving? I am entitled to a lunch break so why don't I take it and go for a walk around my local city or even just down the road. If I have an extra 10 minutes before I start work then I'll go on an extra long walk to get my steps in. Taking opportunities as they arise throughout the day is key in staying consistent in maintain the fitness level I want to achieve.
Skincare:
I have been trying to make an effort to look after my skin ever since I noticed acne building up on my cheeks and chin. I have been using Clinique's skincare range to treat my symptoms and nearly 4 weeks in, I am noticing a big difference in how my skin is looking a lot more clear.
The products I use are the anti-blemish solutions range and it is so simple to follow the step by step guide on which products to use one after another. Below I have listed my skin care routine and how I like to use the products:
First, I use the Cleansing Gel to wash off my makeup from the day. I will then go in for a second cleanse using the Facial Liquid Soap for Dry/Combination Skin to make sure all my face makeup is completely gone.
Following on from this, I will use Garnier Micellar Water to remove eye makeup. I like to complete this step by soaking my eyelashes with the cotton pad and then gently pressing down to remove the excess eye makeup. This ensures that the skin around the eye isn't been tugged or damaged.
I will then go in with the Clarifying Lotion with a cotton wool pad to give my skin a bit of a tone and to make sure all remaining bits of makeup are removed from the skin. Quite often we tend to miss our necks when completing our skincare routine so make sure you use your Clarifying Lotion on your neck to remove any dirty build up throughout the day.
To complete my skincare routine, I will then moisturise my skin with the All Over Clearing Treatment to install moisture back into my skin. Also, if I have some spots on the skin, I will go in with the Clinical Cleansing Gel on the affected area to reduce redness and soreness. Sometimes I will also use this product all over my skin once or twice a week to limit any future spots.
Beauty:
Recently I have been treating my nails and hair to a little TLC and I've been loving it! I love going into the salon not feeling overly excited about my current nails or hair and come out feeling so refreshed and rejuvenated.
For nails, I like to get gel and often opt for the hand massage with a moisturiser just to make the whole experience that little bit more relaxing. I often choose to go for something quite neutral and all one colour however previously, I decided to stick to my neutral but to go for something a little bit more out there and add glitter to my ring finger on each hand. Stepping out of my comfort zone by adding something different to my nails was so refreshing and I absolutely loved them!
Similarly, the same could be said about my hair. I used to have all over, dark brown hair and the most daring I would ever go was getting it cut into a long bob. However, I have been a little more dareish and have decided to go for some highlights to spice things up a little bit. I decided to go for some blonde as well as some caramel strands running through and again, surprise, surprise, I absolutely love it!
It just goes to show that although things may seem a little daunting in the beginning, going for a change can be quite good and you may end up loving it. Just think, it's not the end of the world if you don't like it, after all, you can easily remove the nail varnish or re-dye the hair
Reading:
I have set myself the goal to read 1 book a month. For someone who used to be an avid reader and would like getting home from school just so I could finish my book, I have fallen out of the habit of reading consistently.
We're in March and so far I have read 2 out of 12 books which I am quite pleased with. The books I have read are: The Language of Kindness, which, can I just say, if you haven't already read this book, you NEED too!! It was the first book in a long while that I just could not put down it was that good! The second book I read was: The Silent Guides by Prof Steve Peters and to be honest, I have to agree with other reviews on this one, it wasn't great. There were somethings that I could relate to however all the tips and advice was aimed at children and so, for me, not having children, it was pretty irrelevant information.
So for my 3rd book, I have reading Michelle Obama's, Becoming and I am about an 8th through but I am really enjoying it so far. In the book, she discusses about her childhood and how she grew up to now becoming the former 1st Lady of the United States of America and what her journey was like to get there. I am planning on doing a full book review once I have finished so stay tuned for that!
I hope you have enjoyed reading what I am doing to take better care of myself recently and hope it inspires you to take a step back and give yourself a little TLC.
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